Updated June 22, 2023. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
In today’s market, there’s a nearly overwhelming selection of different iron sets.
So how does the amateur golfer know where to start?
The #1 criteria for an amateur golfer’s iron set should be how forgiving it is.
A good round of golf is when you can hit three shots that turn out exactly like you envision them before you swing the club.
When even Hogan is satisfied by a mere 3 good shots per round, the average amateur will mis-hit the ball more often than not.
So a set of forgiving irons that can turn a poor swing into a decent shot is a must.
We’ve spent the last 3 months reviewing almost every iron set available on the market and found the most forgiving irons. Read on to find out more.
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Table of Contents
Things to Consider When Buying the Most Forgiving Iron
Forgiveness
This article is intended to find the most forgiving irons available today, so obviously, the first and most heavily weighted criterion is forgiveness.
Worth a max of 40 points, the forgiveness rating considers both distance and directional forgiveness on the heel, toe, and thin shots. There’s not much a club can do to correct a chunk!
You may find one set more forgiving than another because you tend to miss your shots thin only, so a low center-of-gravity iron would be perfect for you.
If your miss tends to be on the toe, you may want to find an oversized iron with a larger sweet spot. And if you tend to miss towards the heel and slice the ball, a club with an extreme offset might fit the bill.
Distance
If the forgiveness level between two clubs winds up being about equal, you’ll want to squeeze as much distance as you can out of each shot. The closer you can get to the green on a par 5 or a long par 4, the better chance you’ll make a good score. And wouldn’t you rather hit a 9-iron to a 150-yard par 3 than a 7-iron?
Hitting a club with more loft offers more backspin and thus more forgiveness and accuracy. So the distance potential of a club has a pretty big impact on the forgiveness level of an iron set. With this in mind, irons can earn a maximum of 30 points of distance rating.
Feel
The last three criteria will receive a maximum of ten points each. They’re the little things that can sometimes help tip the scales between otherwise closely matched iron sets. First up is feel.
Feel has two components: first is how the club feels when it strikes the ball. A good strike should feel smooth and buttery, almost like the ball just leaped off the clubface rather than being impacted by it.
The second is how it sounds. Many golfers don’t realize this until they hear a sound they don’t like at impact. A satisfying click will make an iron feel much better than a clunky thump, even if both shots turn out identically.
Feel play a big part in your confidence. You’ll play with more optimism and confidence if you’ve hit a few great-feeling shots on the driving range before the round.
Looks
I believe that looks are overrated in the golf world. Many golfers fawn over shiny chrome forged blades, but are they really the best clubs? For 99.9% of players globally, the answer is no. Henrik Stenson is considered one of the best and most consistent ball-strikers in the world, but even he uses cavity-back irons.
The loss of performance on even a slight mis-hit when you’re using blades is so drastic that I don’t recommend them for any golfers at all. The performance level of cavity-back irons is so high that I think every golfer will benefit from them at all levels.
I also think results can quickly change your opinion on a club’s looks. An “ugly” club that consistently hits the ball right at the flagstick will become beautiful at no time!
Durability
Durability for an iron set can be measured in a few different ways. All clubs will show bag chatter unless you use individual headcovers for each club (which I think is overkill — leave headcovers for woods, hybrids and putter only), but some forged clubs will look ten years old after just a few rounds played.
Cast irons, on the other hand, might not feel as smooth but will show much less wear and tear even after a few seasons of play.
Grips will always wear down and should be replaced at a minimum once a year, so unless there’s something wrong with the grips, I won’t consider them for durability.
Clubheads should be stable and secure in the shaft. Steel shafts will be more durable than graphite, but even graphite shafts should last for a decade or more. Since I’m only testing 2018 models, there will have to be an egregious lack of build quality to lose points in the durability category.
Most Forgiving Irons in 2023
Cobra LTDx Iron Set
Most Forgiving Irons Overall
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 18.5°-54°
- Lie: 62°-65°
- Shaft Length: 35.5”-39.25”
- Swing Weight: D0, D1, D2
PROS
- Wide, inviting sweet spot produces length with outstanding forgiveness
- Milled face generates high level spin rates
- Lower CG produces a high shot shape
CONS
- Busy club head design is distracting
- Game-improvement iron lacks workability
Our choice for the most forgiving iron on the market, the Cobra LTDx Iron Set, delivers an oversized sweet spot that produces the distance and accuracy that most amateur golfers need for their game.
Boasting first-rate craftsmanship, the LTDx set offers a low, deep CG for a simple launch that quickly gets the ball into the air. With extended carry, the Cobra set produces high spin rates that allow the golf ball to hold on the green easily.
Great for high handicappers and beginners, the Cobra LTDx Iron Set offers terrific forgiveness with outstanding performance.
Read the Full Cobra LTDx Irons Review
Tour Edge Exotics E722
Longest Irons for High Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 19°-42°
- Lie: 61°-64°
- Shaft Length: 35.75”-38.75”
- Swing Weight: D2
PROS
- Multiple shaft options provide customization
- Thick topline offers a clean look at the golf ball
- Deep, low CG offers smooth contact for a clean launch
CONS
- Minimal workability locks low handicappers out
- Great for distance but lacks accuracy
For many years, Tour Edge has built high-quality irons. Their latest set, the E722, provides a large helping of forgiveness that minimizes sidespin to keep shots along the target line with maximum distance.
Featuring a wider sweet spot and rounded toe, the Tour Edge iron cleanly cuts through the turf to help the face directly impact the golf ball. We enjoyed the response and feel of the iron impacting the golf ball with power on swing after swing.
Another iron set that mid handicappers can enjoy, the Tour Edge E722 offers golfers of many skill levels the opportunity to lower their score with improved iron play.
Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Iron Set
Most Forgiving Irons for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 20°-41°
- Lie: 60.5°-64°
- Shaft Length: 35.75”-38.875”
- Swing Weight: D0
PROS
- Delivers high, long, and straight shot shape
- Perfect for senior golfers and high handicappers
- Outstanding forgiveness with Flash Face Cup design
CONS
- Minimal workability, not ideal for low handicappers
- Oversized face creates a larger club head
Callaway’s latest iron set, the Rogue ST Max OS, offers an oversized hitting area that keeps the ball flying toward the target line with marvelous forgiveness. Boasting a high ball speed, each iron in this set utilizes its design to produce the speed you need to increase the length of your game.
The iron delivers magnificent performance for the right golfer. While low handicappers won’t find what they need here, for beginners and high handicappers, the Rogue ST Max OS delivers the distance and accuracy that can revolutionize their game.
Read the Full Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Iron Set Review
Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal Irons
Best Distance Irons for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 21°-43°
- Lie: 60°-63°
- Shaft Length: 35.5”-38.5”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Consistent ball speeds across the face with outstanding forgiveness
- First-rate stopping power with steep landing angle
- Improved feel over past Hot Metal versions
CONS
- Doesn’t have the workability of Mizuno’s players’ distance irons
Mizuno’s dynamic JPX 923 Hot Metal irons offer faster ball speed for more distance and greater spin. Ideal for mid handicappers, the JPX 923 Hot Metal irons are incredibly consistent with top-tier forgiveness that redirects off-center strikes along your intended target line.
The irons are also one of the best looking sets you’ll find on the market. The white-satin brush finish reduces glare and looks incredible from the fairway or sitting in the golf bag.
What I really loved about these irons is how incredibly fast they are from the tee box, fairway, or rough. That ball speed translates to more distance and higher spin, helping you stop shots on the green and getting the carry you need to reach your intended target area with higher frequency.
The JPX 923 Hot Metal irons are a premium set of game-improvement clubs that can definitely improve your overall game and lower scores.
Taylormade Stealth Irons
Most Forgiving Game-Improvement Irons for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 18.5°-43°
- Lie: 61.5°-64.5°
- Shaft Length: 35.75”-39.125”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Excellent forgiveness with soaring launch
- Powerful feel with long, extended carry
- Hot, thin face accelerates the ball speed
CONS
- Can be blunt instrument that struggles with distance control
TaylorMade’s Stealth irons are powerful with exceptional forgiveness that keeps your golf ball headed for the target, even when you strike the shot off the toe. Fueled by the thin, hot face, the Stealth irons hit the ball high and long, a nice combination for mid-and-high handicappers that need help getting shots into the air.
What I loved most about the Stealth irons is how strong and sturdy they feel from any lie or situation on the course. Regardless of whether your ball is in the fairway or rough, the Stealth cuts through the grass to produce ball-first contact that soars into the sky with velocity.
Although the club head is rather large on the Stealth set, TaylorMade has given the face enough flexibility to help redirect shots toward the target with minimized side spin.
If you are looking for an iron that mixes distance and forgiveness fairly well, the Stealth irons will help smooth over a lot of swing flaws in your game.
Read the Full Taylormade Stealth Irons Review
Srixon ZX4 Mk II Iron
Most Forgiving Forged Irons for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 21°-43°
- Lie: 60.5°-63.5°
- Shaft Length: 35.5”-38.5”
- Swing Weight: D2
PROS
- Innovative face design boosts launch and carry
- Powerful build offers distance with precise forgiveness
- Progressive groove depth helps customize spin and shape
CONS
- Struggles to generate first-rate workability
Srixon’s masterful ZX4 MK II irons offer dynamic versatility for golfers that want distance without sacrificing forgiveness. The hollow body construction provides a lightweight, but sturdy, feel that makes the Srixon clubs a blast to hit from any location or lie.
The ZX4 MK II are classified as game-improvement irons, so you won’t get much workability here, but these clubs can craft a shot if you need it.
When it comes to forgiveness, I give the ZX4 MK II irons considerably high marks. Off-center strikes don’t linger or struggle to meet the target area. Instead, the Srixon irons maintain ball speed and length to help you save more pars.
Another feature I found worthwhile is the progressive depth and size of the grooves. As the clubs work their way to the pitching wedge, the groove system changes, offering wider and deeper grooves with the long irons and narrow, deep grooves with the scoring irons.
The ZX4 MK II irons are fun to play and certainly deliver terrific all-around performance for mid handicap players.
Read the Full Srixon ZX4 Mk II Irons Review
Cobra Aerojet Iron
Best High Launch Forgiving Iron for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 18.5°-41.5°
- Lie: 62°-65°
- Shaft Length: 36”-39.25”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Low, deep CG boosts launch and peak height
- Exceptionally steep landing angle with great spin holds greens
- Delivers maximum energy transfer to the golf ball
CONS
- Best for mid-and-high handicappers that need most help
Cobra’s Aerojet irons provide quick confidence after just a handful of swings. Built like a tank, the Aerojet iron offers a sophisticated softness that you can certainly feel inside 150 yards.
What I really enjoyed about this Cobra set is how significantly strong the irons play from inside 175 yards. The ball gets up into the air with muscle, helping you find areas of the course you’d previously struggled to reach.
You won’t see much workability with these irons, and that’s okay if you are a golfer struggling to hit the ball consistently high and straight. Also if you carry a steep angle of attack into the golf ball, the Aerojet design helps to minimize that approach for cleaner, more consistent contact quality.
Another winner from Cobra, the Aerojet irons are well-built, expertly designed, and incredibly fun to swing on the course.
Read the Full Cobra Aerojet Irons Review
Callaway Paradym Iron
Most Forgiving Players’ Distance Iron for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS (4-PW)
- Loft: 20°-42°
- Lie: 61°-64°
- Shaft Length: 35.75”-38.875”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Powerful distance with high ball speed
- Slender shape offers exciting workability
- Exceptional players’ distance iron
CONS
- Doesn’t have the soft feel of comparable irons
Callaway’s Paradym iron offers an exciting array of features including dynamic forgiveness that goes along with its muscular shotmaking. The hollow body iron provides a lightweight feel that ramps up the MPH in your swing, a lethal combination for advanced golfers.
The irons are slender and sleek, ready to cut through the air and deliver maximum swing speed to the golf ball. The narrower sole still provides first-rate turf interaction with crisp ball-first contact that generates a ton of speed.
I loved how agile and pure the Paradym plays on the course. Whether you like hitting stingers off the tee box or throwing darts at the pin from 150 yards, these irons are ready for what you can throw at them.
For a players’ distance iron, the Paradym does offer sophistication, but make no mistake, these irons are built for hitting the ball as far as possible.
Read the Full Callaway Paradym Irons Review
Wilson Launch Pad 2022 Iron
Lightweight, Forgiving Irons for Senior Golfers
SPECS (5-PW)
- Loft: 24°-44°
- Lie: 62°-65°
- Shaft Length: 36”-38.5”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Lightweight build encourages distance and carry
- High ball speed with power that rockets off the face
- Wider sole provides premium turf interaction
CONS
- Absolutely limited workability for advanced players
Wilson’s Launch Pad irons are an absolute blast to play for high handicappers and senior golfers because the ball trampolines off the face with exceedingly fast ball speed.
When it comes to forgiveness, the Launch Pad irons deliver correction that minimizes side spin. Strikes that leak toward the toe stay relatively close to the intended target with high ball speeds that get you the distance you need.
I really enjoyed playing with the Wilson Pad irons from the rough. The ball comes out hot and high, something that definitely helps on longer par 5s. From the fairway, the wider sole slides smoothly through the turf, creating a tight dispersion that keeps your ball close to the pin.
If you are looking for quick launch irons that are incredibly easy to hit, the Wilson Launch Pad set delivers impressive performance from tee to green.
Questions & Answers
What is the difference between cast and forged irons?
Cast irons are made from molten metal poured into a mold. They take the shape of the mold and are then cooled. Cast irons are typically the most durable but also the hardest feeling clubs.
Forged irons are made from a single piece of superheated metal shaped into the proper shape. This results in softer, better feeling irons but they wear out more quickly. Once the chrome veneer is worn off, the metal underneath will rust and the irons will need to be replaced.
Cast and forged irons can often be found in an iron set.
What’s the difference between steel and graphite shafts?
The difference between a steel and graphite shaft for golfers involves the weight of each material. A steel shaft weighs around 120 grams, while a graphite shaft runs 50-85 grams.
Steel shafts are heavier than graphite shafts. However, professional golfers and experienced players prefer steel shafts due to their stiffness and feel. While it may cost them a few yards in the distance, these players have elevated swing speeds to compensate for the shaft’s weight difference.
Lighter graphite shafts, commonly found in clubs where distance is at a premium, create higher ball speed at impact. You’ll discover graphite shafts in drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. In some instances, golfers prefer graphite shafts in their irons due to the increase in swing speed the material brings players struggling to generate distance.
High handicappers, beginners, senior, and women golfers, prefer graphite throughout their club set to help maintain swing speed and maximize length.
Cavity-back or blade?
Cavity-back irons are designed to have large sweet spots made possible by moving the club’s weight from the back of the iron to the perimeter. A blade (or muscle back) has the weight centered behind the sweet spot.
This may sound nice, but you have to hit the ball every time. Miss the sweet spot by just a fraction of an inch, and your ball will lose a ton of distance.
For this reason, I suggest cavity-backs for all levels of players. Even the best professionals don’t hit the sweet spot every time, and a cavity-back will help this mis-hits still make it close to the original target in a way that blades can’t pull off.
What irons qualify as forgiving or a game-improvement set?
Game-improvement irons are typically very forgiving for golfers that need help. Since most beginners and high handicappers struggle with consistency, forgiving golf irons allow golfers to get the ball into the air with a tight shot dispersion.
These shots translate into shorter birdie putts on the green or less wayward shots that need to be saved from rough and bunkers. Forgiving game-improvement irons, like the TaylorMade SIM2 MAX OS and SIM MAX OS lines, give golfers the tool they need to keep the ball straight toward the target.
What makes the most forgiving irons?
A combination of design and innovation is responsible for forgiving irons. Take the M6 irons, for example. The club’s Speed Bridge and Speed Pocket technology offer extended flexibility along the entire face to redirect off-center strikes without sacrificing accuracy or ball speed.
The biggest characteristic of forgiving irons is the sweet spot. The larger the sweet spot, the more forgiving the iron will be for the golfer. Iron sets, like the TaylorMade SIM MAX OS, with oversized heads, offer premium forgiveness.
Golfers should also understand that forgiving irons usually do come at the cost of shot shaping. The goal of forgiving irons is to keep the ball high and straight for exceptional accuracy and distance.
Conclusion
Our choice for the most forgiving irons, the Cobra LTDx Iron Set, offers golfers an excellent complement of benefits, including additional distance, more accuracy, and boosted forgiveness.
With an exceptional feel, the LTDx excels by offering clean contact with crisp turf interaction that moves smoothly through the grass to impart a high spin on the golf ball.
We noted that the Cobra set immediately adds accuracy and precision to your game during our testing. These irons provide golfers of all skill levels with a massive sweet spot, better spin, and incredible shotmaking.
The highly capable Cobra LTDx Iron Set offers superior performance and durability, and reliability for golfers looking to buy a set that will last them many years.